Judgment Day
by Moon's Tear
Summary: A case in Trenton, NJ causes trouble for the team. Tragedy is inevitable. Meva and Nathen romance. Warning: tearjerker character death in chapter 3! Please review! ::COMPLETE::
1. The Trenton Flu

**Judgment Day**

A deadly disease is spreading through Trenton, New Jersey and the NIH team is called in to investigate. Miles/Eva romance. There is tragedy for the team both collectively and individually. My first Medical Investigation fic. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Medical Investigation. There, I said it, let's move on. All of the medical information is from the official CDC website.

Chapter 1: The Trenton Flu

It was 9:00 am on a Monday morning. Stephen Connor sat at his desk, thumbing through a bunch of old case files. Miles McCabe sat in the boardroom, catching up on the latest medical journals. Eva Rossi and Natalie Durant sat, chatting animatedly over coffee. Frank Powell was re-stocking an investigation kit in his office. The start-of-the-week silence was broken by the shrill cry of the telephone. Stephen's head snapped up and he reached for the receiver.

"Connor," he stated.

"This is Dr. Madison Daniels from Caritas Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey. There's been an outbreak of an influenza-like virus. I wanted to fax you the details and get your opinion," she explained without preamble.

"Send the fax, I'll look over it and get back to you," Steven agreed.

"Thanks. Bye," Dr. Daniels replied.

They hung up and Connor turned around to the fax machine. He grabbed the printout just as it came out of the printer and scanned it over briefly. The symptoms were serious, the prognosis bleak. Connor stood up from his desk and marched through the halls of NIH, gathering his team for a quick board meeting. After everyone gathered, Connor closed the door and came to stand at the head of the table. He looked around at the crowd appraisingly before speaking.

"I just got a fax from a Dr. Madison Daniels in Trenton. There's been an outbreak of a disease with an almost flu-like presentation. Sudden high fever, weakness, headache, chills, dry cough, muscle and joint pain and diarrhea in all of the patients. Some have varying other symptoms that include chest pain, trouble breathing, skin irritation, swollen lymph nodes, eye irritation, sore throat and are coughing up blood. There are six reported cases so far, two of which have died from complications. The patients' ages vary from seven to sixty nine years old of both genders. What do you think?" Connor asked.

"Malaria?" Miles suggested.

"Unlikely. Six people, all from different families, different social circles. The symptoms are too diverse." Natalie reasoned.

"They could all be atypical presentations, but it's still unlikely." Connor agreed.

"What about anthrax?" Frank asked.

"No. Although it would explain the symptoms if it was the inhaled form, it wouldn't explain any of the more diverse ones. None of them can be associated with the more common cutaneous or gastrointestinal forms. It would likely be localized, too, not spread out as far as this seems to be." Natalie explained.

"How about asbestos?" Miles guessed. "Or a new virulent strain of pneumonia."

"Not likely. Why don't we save the guesswork until we've got a little more information. Pack your bags, we're going to Trenton." Connor stated.

They group dispersed from the boardroom and went about preparing for the trip to New Jersey. After packing all of the necessary equipment they headed up to the roof and boarded the chopper. The trip to Trenton was a long one, but the team was kept busy by thoughts of the various scenarios in store for them. When they reached Caritas Hospital the team stepped off the chopper and gathered their equipment.

"Alright, let's go." Connor ordered.

They walked down off of the roof and toward the intensive care unit. When they reached the ward, Stephen stopped at the admissions desk.

"I'm Dr. Stephen Connor with the NIH. We're looking for Dr. Madison Daniels." He explained.

A woman standing at the back of the counter stopped flipping through a chart and looked up.

"I'm Dr. Daniels. Please, call me Maddie. Thank God you're here." She said gratefully.

"I'm Dr. Connor, we spoke on the phone. This is my team, Dr. Natalie Durant, infectious disease specialist, Dr. Miles McCabe, Frank Powell,toxicologist and Eva Rossi, our publicity liaison." Connor inquired.

"Thank God you're here. Two new cases have just come in with all of the same symptoms as the others as well as some of the varying ones. We have a total of eight cases, two of which are deceased now. Five stable patients, one critical. Come this way, I'll show you to their rooms." Dr. Daniels said briskly.

Connor nodded and the team followed Dr. Daniels to a cordoned-off area of the ward. They looked through the glass at the infected patients. Connor sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair before turning to the rest of his team.

"Natalie, I need you to draw blood from each of our patients and run a wide range of both viral and bacterial panels. Get permission to perform autopsies on the deceased. Miles, I need you to talk to the patients' families and find out if there's been anything unusual happening as of late. Frank, I need you to go to each of our patients houses, deceased or otherwise and look for commonalities. Eva, try to hold off any bloodthirsty reporters and if necessary hold a press conference to stave off rumors that may be spreading. Let me know if you find anything. I'm going to go and examine our casualties," Connor instructed.

The team members nodded and headed of to get started on their respective tasks. Stephen stays behind with Dr. Daniels. They quickly down the hall as they talk.

"I'm going to need access to all of the patients and their files, as well as equipment and facilities. My team and I also need the cooperation of all of your support staff during this investigation. If everyone follows instructions then hopefully we can wrap this up before it gets any worse," Connor listed.

"No problem, I've already mentioned your coming to the staff and they know that their services will be needed. As for patients, you have the families' consent and full access to their files. If there's anything you need that you can't find, just ask someone on the staff. As for facilities, you and your team have priority so you can push other less severely ill patients out of the way if you need to use an O.R. or anything of that sort. If there's anything else don't hesitate to ask," Maddie explained.

"Thank you. I'll let you know if anything comes up," Connor said.

"As will I," Dr. Daniels replied.

He watched for a moment while she stalked off down the hallway before turning and heading back to the patient's rooms. He grabbed a pair of gloves, a gown and a mask from the cart in the hallway before entering the quarantined off room. The patients looked even more deathly up close than they had through the glass. Then again, it was always like that. Stephen checked each of them in turn and made the same basic observations as Dr. Daniels had mentioned. He would have to wait to see what Miles, Natalie and Frank came up with before he could make any judgment calls. He walked out of the cordoned off ward and headed out to the reception area where Miles was prying information from the patients' families. He was an excellent diagnostician, but Stephen would be damned if he ever told him that. Miles worked much better when he was seeking approval than when he was being fueled by it. Miles looked up from his current survey and stood. He and Stephen walked off to a secluded room and Stephen waited patiently while Miles spoke.

"I've surveyed two of the patients' families so far and there are no commonalities. They're both from different parts of town, different families, different social circles, different age, gender and racial groups. Nothing is linking them together as far as I can see," Miles explained.

"How long apart from each other did they get sick?" Stephen asked.

"One of the patients, Erin Singer, is from the original batch that were admitted two days ago and the other, Darren Lukasiewicz, is one of the patients admitted today," Miles listed.

"Alright, go back out there and survey the rest of the families. Get back to me once you know a little more," Connor instructed.

Miles nodded and swept out of the room. Connor ran a hand over his tired eyes and moved to leave the room when Eva opened the door and stepped in. Connor looked up and met her gaze.

"What have you got?" He inquired.

"The press hasn't gotten word of the outbreak yet so we don't have to worry about publicity. I heard rumors spreading among the staff, though. They're calling it the Trenton flu," Eva relayed.

"Good work. Go back out there and make sure the staff doesn't leak any information to the press," Connor ordered.

Eva nodded and left the room in a similar fashion to Miles'. Connor immediately stood and rushed off to find Natalie. She had just finished drawing blood samples from the patients when he had entered the ward previously. He headed up to the lab and found her sitting literally up to her elbows in blood samples, working frantically to ferret out information. He walked over to her and looked down at her work.

"What have you got?" He queried.

"Nothing yet. I've run a few tests so far but they've all turned out inconclusive. I'll keep running the bacterial and viral panels and let you know if anything changes," Natalie iterated.

"Have you gotten permission for the autopsies?" Connor asked.

"Yes. I've scheduled an empty autopsy suite for us this afternoon. As soon as I've got everything set up here we can head down to the morgue and get started," Natalie suggested.

"Great. Page me once you've finished. I'm going to speak with Frank," Connor said.

Natalie nodded and watched him leave the lab. Connor headed downstairs, again willing the growing fatigue to be expelled from his body. He reached the courtyard at the back of the hospital and breathed the fresh air. Quickly pulling out his cell phone he deftly punched in Frank's number. The other man picked up on the second ring.

"Powell," he said briskly.

"Frank, it's Connor. What can you tell me so far?" He asked.

"There's nothing obviously suspicious at the first site, the home of patient Bette Moreau. I'm on my way to the next house, patient named Erin Singer. I'll let you know as soon as I find something," Frank replied.

"Thanks," Connor said.

The two men hung up and Connor swiftly made his way back up to the ward. He decided to have Dr. Daniels run him through the story once again. There had to be something they missed the first time around. After all, eight patients from completely different walks of life don't suddenly come down with a deadly virus out of the blue. There had to be a commonality they overlooked. At least, Connor prayed there was…

* * *

_A.N.: Okay, so it's a little shorter than I had expected it to be. Its just an introductory chapter, though. I'll write more for the next one. Tell me what you think. Please review! Thanks-Julia-_


	2. Succumbing

**Judgment Day**

A deadly disease is spreading through Trenton, New Jersey and the NIH team is called in to investigate. Meva and Nathen romance. There is tragedy for the team both collectively and individually. My first medical investigation fic. Please review!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, but I play one in drama class. I do not own Medical Investigation. None of them are doctors, either, but you get the picture. All medical info is from the official CDC website.

Chapter 2: Succumbing

As far as numbers went on epidemic cases of this nature, patients were coming in left, right and centre. Over the past twelve hours the total of infected patients had risen from eight to thirteen right before their eyes. The death toll had mounted five. All of the initially infected patients were dead and there were no answers in sight. Four patients were stable and four critical.

Stephen looked down at Abby Baxter. She was nine years old and their newest patient. Her symptoms were consistent with those of the other cases, but she seemed to be fighting harder. He sighed and brushed a hand lightly through her hair before turning and leaving the room. He walked up to the laboratory and contemplated as he watched Natalie work. What was this thing and how was it spreading? They hadn't ruled out person to person transmission, but at this point it seemed unlikely. Absorption, ingestion and inhalation seemed to be the likeliest culprits. None of the patients seemed to have any bite marks, so animal transmission was discountable.

Natalie looked through the eyepiece of her microscope and allowed the lines to blur. She was getting nowhere fast and it was beginning to get on her nerves. Usually by this time they had at least some kind of a lead, even if it was completely wrong. They had nothing. It was the perfect virus. Undetectable, untraceable and incurable. It was a nightmare in a nutshell. Natalie could see Stephen out of the corner of her eye. He looked tired. She knew he needed rest. It was just dumb luck that the call had come in right after their last case. Natalie sighed and tried to re-focus on her work. She was going to get to the bottom of this if it killed her. She knew Stephen was thinking along the same lines.

Elsewhere, Miles was checking on his patients. Jamie Kurtz and Virginia Madsen, ages 16 and 17, respectively. They were barely conscious; the weakness was rampant in their bodies. They were hanging on despite the virulent illness present in their bodies. This was completely extemporaneous; a random strike of disease. It just didn't make sense. He just hoped that they would soon find the source of this infection that had taken over with such turpitude. Miles felt Jamie's pulse and swallowed hard when he noticed it getting progressively weaker. He checked her breath sounds and frowned when he heard the crackling in her lungs. Suddenly, a monitor somewhere across the room signaled a warning. Miles rushed over to the patient's bedside and called for a nurse.

Tony Caruso was convulsing and his heart was failing. He was one of the earlier patients and was weakening fast from the contagion. It just wasn't natural for a 22 year old to be dying of heart failure. This disease was malicious and working fast. Miles knew he had to be better, faster, _smarter_. He frantically moved with the rest of the team. Miles grabbed the paddles and placed them on the patient's chest.

"Charge to 200. Clear! 300, Clear! Charge to 350. Clear," Miles instructed.

The frantic beeping of the monitor was replaced by the drawling of a flat line signaling an asystole. Miles sighed and stopped his work.

"Time of death; 10:52," Miles stated.

He put the equipment back and left the room. He leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. Death had struck yet again. This was getting really old really fast. He was developing somewhat of a kakorraphiaphobia; a fear of failure. Six patients were dead and there was no end in sight. He was failing his patients, himself and his team as a physician.

Frank wandered around Jamie Kurtz's house searching for any indication as to what was killing all of these people. If there was a person to person commonality, this would be where he would find it. Jamie was close to the other teenage girl, Virginia. However, neither girl had any contact with any of the other victims. Still, it was better than nothing. Suddenly Frank was hit with a bout of exhaustion. He felt the tiredness in his bones and longed to sleep. He shook it off and kept working. He gathered all the necessary samples before heading back to Caritas hospital with his findings.

Eva looked around the room at all of the anxious reporters. News had gotten out about the virus and was spreading like wildfire. Connor had decided that it would be best to be subtly honest instead of letting rumors circulate, so now she stood on a podium at the centre of a press conference. She held on to the podium with all her strength. It was all she could do to keep from shooting each and every one of those reporters.

"We have not been able to identify the exact strain of the virus we're dealing with yet, but there are no new cases as of 9:00 am this morning. We're doing everything we can to find out what this illness is and how we can treat it. Until we do that we recommend that contact with individuals that are presenting with symptoms is minimal. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms we strongly advise you to come down to the Caritas hospital for screening. I'll let you know what's going on once I get some more information," Eva explained.

The press began to ask questions but she turned and left the room. There were no sure answers to give, so it was better simply not to say anything at all. Oh, the press was going to have a field day alright, but there was nothing neither she nor anyone else could do. Eva was hit with the sudden onset of a blinding headache. She felt dizzy and clung to the wall. It passed almost as quickly as it had come on and she decided to get some coffee before meeting Stephen upstairs.

Meanwhile, Stephen stood against the table in the lab with Natalie in his arms. They were all getting stressed out by their lack of progress. He stroked her back comfortingly and ran a hand through her hair. She looked up and cupped his face in her hands. Their lips met and a passion seared through them both. Daggers of pure lust pierced their hearts as they kissed hungrily. The burning desire raged through their veins and made them weak in the knees. They pulled apart breathlessly moments later and looked into each other's eyes. Smiling satisfactorily, Natalie spoke.

"I'm so glad I've got you, Stephen," she said lightly.

"I love you, Natalie," Stephen replied.

They embraced a while longer until they heard the door to the lab hiss open. They quickly stepped apart and looked up at the intruder. It was Frank. Natalie immediately noticed the sheen of perspiration on his forehead. He looked exhausted. He walked over and deposited the box of samples on the lab table before dropping into a chair and wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. Connor had noticed it, too. They walked over to Frank and stood on either side of him.

"Hey Frank, are you feeling alright?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little tired," he replied weakly.

"Are you sure?" Stephen inquired.

Frank stared at him blankly. Natalie placed her hand on Frank's forehead and was startled at how hot he felt. This was more than just exhaustion. This was the beginning of something terrible.

"My God, you're burning up!" Natalie exclaimed.

Stephen looked at the pair appraisingly.

"Natalie, I want you to get Frank admitted and start him on IV saline and broad spectrum antibiotics. I want you and everyone else up here ASAP for prophylactic treatment. I'll start looking through this stuff," Stephen instructed.

Natalie nodded and assisted Frank in walking through the door and down to the isolated ward. At the same time Stephen paged everyone else up to the lab for their doses of prophylactic antibiotics. He counted the pills and put them in separate dosage containers as he waited for everyone to come upstairs. Almost immediately he was joined by Miles and Eva who took the meds and then looked at him quizzically.

"What's going on?" Eva asked.

"Its just a precaution. Frank is developing symptoms of this thing," Stephen explained.

Miles and Eva both looked shocked. At that moment Eva's knees buckled and she would have fallen if Miles hadn't launched himself forward to intercept her fall. He held her steady with one arm and brushed the hair out of her face with the other.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little hypoglycemic, I'm sure," Eva denied.

Miles felt her pulse and almost gasped. She was becoming quickly bradycardic. Her skin felt warm and he was dead sure that she was feeling weak from the virus and not hypoglycemia.

"You're not fine, Eva. I want to get you admitted. I think its got you, too," Miles admitted worriedly.

Stephen looked stricken and Eva nodded slightly, too weak to argue. Miles supported Eva as they left the lab together. Stephen watched them as they walked away. The casualties had mounted fifteen; two of whom were his own team members. He only prayed that no more patients would succumb to death. He prayed that none of his other team members would fall ill. It was a lot to hope for, but hope was about all he could do at the present.

Eva put up with Miles' thorough examination without complaint. She was too tired and reveled in the feeling of his warm hands against her skin. She wished it could have been under better circumstances, but unfortunately she was already here, may as well make the best of it. Miles smiled at her as he worked and it sent a shiver up her spine. He was a much better doctor than Stephen gave him credit for. Miles finished with his examination and moved on to putting in an IV line. Eva took it all in a stride and didn't flinch once.

"Okay, that's it. I'm going to give you saline and broad spectrum antibiotics. Hopefully that will do the trick. If not, well, we'll find a cure for this thing soon, I promise," Miles said lightly.

"Thanks," Eva said quietly.

He smiled one of his reassuring smiles.

"No problem. Just promise me one thing," Miles said.

"Sure, anything," Eva replied.

"Promise me that you'll fight this thing for as long as you can. If you promise me that then I promise that I can get you through this," Miles said firmly.

Eva nodded and smiled.

"I promise," she whispered.

Miles smiled one last time before leaving the room. Eva lay back against the pillow and allowed sleep to cloud her senses.

Stephen paced nervously around the lab. Natalie watched as he slowly wore a hole in the linoleum. This case had just gotten a whole lot more personal for them. She knew she should have been working on finding something, but there was nothing to find. She had check for organophosphate poisoning, bacteria, viruses and everything else under the rainbow. Nothing was showing up on any of her panels. She could hear the silent clicking of the mouse buttons as Miles searched for answers on the internet. They were at the end of their leashes. If they didn't figure something out soon their team members would end up dead in a matter of days, maybe even hours.

Natalie checked all of her cultures again and came up empty handed. She began to sort through the samples that Frank had brought in when her pager went off. One of her patients was in distress. She rushed off to the isolation ward while the other two remained in the lab, deep in thought.

Luckily, the patient didn't die. It was just a matter of turning up the oxygen concentration and she would be fine. Natalie left the ward and ran into Miles. He had been adjusting the antibiotic dosage for a patient.

"Hey, why don't we go grab some coffee," Natalie suggested.

"Sure," Miles replied.

They walked off toward the cafeteria with no motivation and even less hope. After all, it was hard to be hopeful and motivated when you were going in blind. All either of them could think was that they had to save their coworkers. Though he looked stoic on the outside, Natalie knew that Miles was panicking on the inside. He would lose more than just a friend if he lost Eva. It was the same with Connor and Frank, though admittedly less intimate. If they were ever going to stop this thing, they needed a lead and some artillery. It wasn't going to be easy.

They drank their coffee in silence as they both racked their brains for triggers as to what this could be. All possibilities had run through their minds and despite being obscure were better than nothing. Natalie rubbed at her tired eyes and looked down at her watch. It was barely past midday and already things had taken a tragic turn. The two of them were startled by the sound of Natalie's pager going off. She glanced at the number before standing up and rushing off towards the isolation ward with Miles hot on her heels. They burst in through the doors, gowned and gloved, to find Stephen unconscious on one of the gurneys. Rushing over to his side, Natalie began a quick assessment. The nurse informed Miles of having found him in the laboratory barely conscious. He had been sorting through the samples Frank had brought in. It looked like another member of their team had been struck down.

Miles left Natalie to examine Stephen as he went up to the lab. He put on a mask as well as a gown and gloves before entering the lab. Two people who had handled the evidence had come down with symptoms of their mystery disease. The answer was somewhere in the samples. Miles worked frantically, albeit carefully and ran numerous panels on the evidence. While waiting for the results he tried to mull everything over in his head. The facts and figures were making little sense. His pager chose that moment to go off and he rushed off to the isolation ward.

He rushed into Stephen's room to find Natalie on a gurney beside him. She had tears in her eyes but looked better than the rest of the team. It was then that Miles realized he was the only one left. It was all up to him to save his team. The thought made him sick. What if he couldn't figure it out in time, or at all? What if he had to watch the traumatizing deaths of his team members play out before his eyes? No. He was going to stop this. He was going to beat this thing. Miles walked over to Natalie's bedside and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"It'll be okay, Dr. Durant. I'll make you the same promise I made Eva. I promise you that I'll find a way to beat this thing," Miles said comfortingly.

"I believe in you, Miles. So does Eva, so does Frank and so does Stephen. I know you can do this," Natalie said hoarsely.

Miles smiled weakly and left the room. There were now seventeen casualties in total. He leaned against the wall as the words echoed in his head.

_Better. Faster. Smarter._

He wasn't about to let a virus get the best of him or his team. He was going to beat it if it killed him. Judging from how things were going, it seemed pretty likely, too. He didn't care. All that mattered was that his team survived. They had to. Eva had to…

* * *

_A.N.: So, what do you think? See, its longer, like I promised. Thank you very much for all of your wonderful reviews and I'm looking forward to reading more of them. Your reviews have convinced me to make this a Nathen as well as a Meva, so I hope its done well. Thanks for reading and please review-Julia-_


	3. Diagnosis

**Judgment Day**

A deadly disease is spreading through Trenton, New Jersey and the NIH team is called out to investigate. Meva and Nathen romance. There is tragedy for the team both collectively and individually. My first Medical Investigation fic. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Medical Investigation, but I do think that I could write some pretty awesome episodes if I did.

Chapter 3: Diagnosis

Miles sat in the lab, staring intently at the results that were spread over the table. The samples had shown nothing conclusive. There were only a few panels left to run on the samples and Miles' patience was running out. He barely heard the quiet beep from the centrifuge in the background, signaling the end of another set of labs. The results of the labs weren't terribly urgent, but the remaining panels were importunate. Miles decided to go down and see his team. Maybe he could find some answers there.

The members of the team were all sleeping soundly. He walked over to where Eva lay and lightly grasped her hand in his. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, gently massaging the IV site. Eva was roused from her sleep by Miles' delicate beckoning. She opened her eyes and blinked sleepily. Miles heart wrenched at the sight of the weakness etched clearly across her features. In all the time they had worked together, he had never seen Eva Rossi in a weak moment. It scared him more than anything else. Eva smiled wearily up at him.

"Hey, what's going on?" She whispered quietly.

The disease was taking her voice. It was something she couldn't do without and Miles worried for her.

"Not too much. There are no new cases; no one else has… given in… I'm just waiting for the last few cultures to come back on the evidence Frank collected," Miles explained.

Eva smiled a little more assuredly. Miles smiled back at her.

"How are you feeling?" Miles inquired.

"I've been better," Eva replied honestly.

Miles glanced at the monitors that betrayed her condition. She was doing as well as was expected and so were the others. Well, Frank's oxygen saturation was a little low, but Miles was determined to find a cure for this thing before anyone got any worse. He looked back down at Eva.

"Is there anything bothering you?" Miles asked.

He could see the pain in her eyes and knew that it was hard for her to be honest when it betrayed her vulnerability.

"My wrists hurt, I can't bend them too well," Eva stated.

Miles nodded and continued to rub the back of her hand gently. He tried to keep her mind off of the thought that this disease might very well be the end of her. Eva began to cough violently and Miles pulled away to grab an oxygen mask. He glanced at the monitor and noted that her oxygen saturation was dropping slowly. It hovered around 89 on 60 percent oxygen. He increased the flow of oxygen to make her more comfortable and was relieved to see her saturation come up to 94 on 65 percent oxygen. Eva eventually stopped coughing and laid her head back in anguish. Tears ran in rivulets down her cheeks and Miles gave her a commiserating smile. He laid one gentle hand against her shoulder as he checked her breath sounds. He felt her shudder as the cold disk touched her feverish skin. Miles was devastated to hear the beginnings of the familiar, deadly crackling in Eva's lungs. He pulled away slowly and took Eva's hand once again.

"You're doing great, just hang in there. I'm going to go check on the others and then I have to get back to the lab, but I'll be back to see you later, I promise," Miles said reassuringly.

"See you," Eva said lightly.

Miles stepped away and watched her tired body collapse into a deep slumber almost immediately. As he checked on the rest of his team, Miles wondered what kind of a person had opened Pandora's box and unleashed this plague on them. He made his way over to Stephen's bed and noticed his superior was awake.

"Dr. Connor, how are you feeling?" Miles asked as he walked up.

"Fine," Stephen said plainly. "How is the research coming along?"

"I'm just waiting on the rest of the panels I've run on the samples to come back. I should know more soon," Miles said.

"Good. How are _you _doing, Miles?" Stephen inquired.

"What do you mean?" Miles shot back.

"Are you presenting with any symptoms?" Connor asked.

"No," Miles said briskly.

"How about otherwise? How are you handling the case by yourself?" Connor queried.

"It's hard not having the rest of the team to back me up, but I guess it's an opportunity to prove myself," Miles said quietly.

"You don't need to prove yourself, Dr. McCabe. You are a skilled physician and diagnostician and I know that you can handle this case on your own. Don't doubt that, Miles," Stephen said firmly.

Miles nodded and carried on with his brief examination. After he was finished Miles received a reassuring smile from Stephen before leaving the room. He headed back up to the lab at top speed, praying for answers. As he rode in the elevator, Miles thought about Eva. He had given her morphine for the joint pain. The symptoms weren't making sense. Maybe he was dealing with two viruses. Suddenly, Miles had a flashback of a conversation he, Stephen and Natalie had had during a recent case they had worked on. There was a disease that Connor had mentioned that was similar to this one in some of its forms. The name flashed in his mind as Miles raced up to the lab.

The answers were hidden in the families' pets. They had all recently adopted young animals from the pound. Mice were often found in animal holding facilities as such. Mice carried tularemia that could be spread to the animals which could then be spread to humans which would present with symptoms identical to the ones of these patients through varied contact. If the bacteria were inhaled, the symptoms were respiratory. If the bacteria were ingested, the symptoms were gastrointestinal. If the bacteria were absorbed, the symptoms were cutaneous. The pieces of this insane jigsaw were finally coming together. Miles only hoped he was right. The samples would mean sink or swim for his team. Miles finally reached the lab and ran straight over to the cultures he was running on the patient's clothing. He found tufts of cat and dog fur all over the place and hurriedly placed a mask over his face to prevent infection. He quickly placed a slide under the microscope and searched for his answers.

Miles almost whooped for joy when he found the familiar form of the _francisella tularensis_ bacteria in the samples. He thanked God that it wasn't bioterrorism. He quickly ran from the lab and discarded his protective gear. He ran down the stairs to the isolation ward and hailed a number of staff members.

"Nurse, I want you to get these patients started on Streptomycin, 1g IM every twelve hours," Miles ordered.

At that same moment the sound of a monitor signaling supraventricular tachycardia could be heard wailing across the hall. Miles dashed over to where 16 year old Jamie Kurtz was progressing into respiratory and cardiac arrest. A team of nurses joined Miles and worked with him to save the girl.

"Get me a 7.0 ET tube, stat! Give her 1mg of epinephrine, 20mg of atomidate and 100mg of suxamethonium," Miles ordered.

He successfully intubated the girl and moved on to doing compressions. A nurse took over for him as he grabbed the defibrillator.

"Charge to 200, clear! Charge to 300, clear! Charge to 360, clear!" Miles shouted.

The team tried for a long while before the monitor signaled a flat line. Miles stopped CPR and glanced at the clock. He hung his head as he pronounced the girl's passing.

"Time of death, 13:09," Miles stated.

Outside the room he heard a shrill yell and the agonizing sound of mourning as her death registered in Jamie's parents' minds. Miles walked out of the room and joined Jamie's parents in the corridor. He placed a hand lightly on Jamie's father's back as the man comforted the girl's mother. He sympathized with the family for a moment before finding his voice.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kurtz, I'm Dr. McCabe. Jamie was suffering from tularemia. She arrested before we had the chance to give her the antibiotic that could have saved her life. I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Kurtz, Jamie passed away a few minutes ago," Miles explained.

The mother was too shocked to be able to speak but the father intrepidly found his inner strength.

"Was she in pain? Was my baby girl scared, Dr. McCabe?" Mr. Kurtz asked.

"No, I can assure you Jamie died peacefully," Miles said reassuringly.

He stayed with the parents for a moment longer before turning to visit his team. A weak hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned back to face the Kurtzes and found young Jamie's mother reaching out to him. He looked down into her teary eyes as she spoke.

"Thank you, Dr. McCabe. Thank you for doing your best to save my little girl," Mrs. Kurtz whispered.

"You're welcome," Miles replied.

He swallowed hard as he walked away. Miles had to fight the tears that welled up in his eyes as he headed for his team's room. The girl had only been 16. He had had a few good conversations with her during her short stay in the hospital. Her best friend would be devastated when she found out what had happened. Miles promised himself that he would maintain that human connection and that he would do his best to commiserate the other girl. He walked into the next room and found the nurse injecting the antibiotics into his teammates' tired bodies. They were all awake save for Frank. His condition was still steadily declining. Miles looked around the room and received smiles from each of his coworkers in turn. He came to stand closer to the foot of the bed near Natalie in the centre of the room.

"You've figured out what's happening, I'm guessing," Natalie said plainly.

"Tularemia," Miles replied simply.

"Great work, Dr. McCabe. What have you started us on?" Stephen asked.

"Streptomycin," Miles answered.

"Well done, Miles. You've saved all of the people here today single handedly. How does it feel to be a hero?" Eva asked lightly.

"I'm just glad that I know I can work under pressure," Miles replied.

Suddenly, a gasping could be heard from the other side of the room. Miles spun around on his heels and strode over to where Frank was slipping into respiratory arrest. Again, he was joined by a few nurses and he tried frantically to intubate one of his own. Miles struggled for a minute before decided it was hopeless.

"It's no use, I can't see his cords! Give him 1mg of epinephrine and get me a tracheotomy kit, he's having a damned allergic reaction to the streptomycin!" Miles shouted.

The nurses obeyed as his team watched in horror from all angles. Miles worked carefully to insert the tubing into Frank's trachea without causing any unnecessary damage. After he had successfully gotten the trache in place, Miles started compressions. Frank was rapidly progressing into cardiac arrest. Before many efforts could be had, the monitor that was secured to Frank's chest heralded a flat line. Miles stopped his work and stripped off his gloves. He cried out in anguish as he tossed his gloves angrily into the trash bin.

"Time of death, 14:18," Miles snapped.

He turned on his heels and ran from the room, not once stopping before reaching the courtyard outside the hospital. He collapsed onto a bench under the shade of an oak tree and put his head in his hands. He let tears flow as he recalled Frank's death. It was what Miles had been dreading the most; losing a team member. He could only imagine how angry and disappointed Connor, Natalie and Eva were. He didn't know how he would face them again. At that same moment, Miles was startled by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around quickly and noticed Connor standing above him. Miles' expression softened at the look of sympathy on his superior's face. Connor sat down next to Miles and tried to comfortably rearrange the array of tubes and lines that surrounded his body. He had had one hell of a time trying to convince the nurses to let him go after Miles, but in the end he had seniority and Miles wasn't there to object. Connor grasped Mile's shoulder as firmly as he could muster to try and reassure the young doctor. Miles ran a frustrated hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

"I screwed up," Miles deadpanned.

"No, you didn't. You had no idea that Frank was allergic to Streptomycin, neither did I. He's never been given the drug before, so no one could have known. It wasn't in his records. You did the best you could and you're not to blame. I don't want you to hold this against yourself," Connor said sharply.

"Even if I couldn't have known, I could have treated him with any number of antibiotics; Gentamicin, Doxycycline, Chloramphenicol, Ciprofloxacin…" Miles trailed off.

"You chose the most effective course of treatment and you know it, Miles. Gentamicin isn't approved by the FDA to treat tularemia. Doxycycline, Chloramphenicol and Ciprofloxacin are inferior choices. You did what you knew was the best thing to treat this infection quickly. Don't blame yourself, Dr. McCabe," Stephen said firmly.

Miles exhaled a long, stagnated breath. He still felt responsible for Frank's death. He could have kept a closer eye on him. He could have worked harder to save him. Anything to not have let him die. Connor kept his hand firmly on Miles' shoulder as Miles let out a few frustrated tears. After a few minutes Miles had managed to collect himself and he turned to Connor, as if seeing him there for the first minute.

"Dr. Connor, you should be in bed, resting. Let's get you back upstairs," Miles suggested.

The two men stood and Miles supported Stephen as the walked back up to the isolation ward. They returned to the room to find Frank's body had already been moved to the morgue. Natalie and Eva both had tears in their eyes, but they refused to cry. It would only deepen the guilt that Miles felt. It would make the sense of loss too real to bear.

Miles helped Stephen get back into bed and adjusted his IVs. He checked on Natalie before collapsing into a chair beside Eva. Miles just wondered why he had been the only one who hadn't become infected. His contemplative expression must have said as much because a moment later, Natalie spoke up.

"It was just dumb luck, Miles. Your not getting infected, I mean. Frank was obviously infected in one of the houses. He had direct contact with the animals. Stephen and I likely got infected when we were treating the initial victims, from particles that were in their clothing. We would have disturbed the particles when we had to cut their clothes off of them. Eva's best bet would have been when she was talking to one of the victims' affiliates by the same manner as Stephen and I. Now the only question that remains is why only some of the people from each household got infected," Natalie stated.

"The ones who didn't get infected have pet dander allergies, so they would have stayed away from the animals. I handled the samples, too, why didn't I get infected?" Miles asked.

"You always wore a mask. For one reason or another, you always had a mask on," Stephen said lightly.

With hindsight Miles realized that Stephen was right. With those questions out of the way and Frank dead, the only thing that remained was for Miles to watch his patients as they recovered over the next few days and pray he didn't present with delayed symptoms. After all, the incubation period was up to 14 days, so he wasn't quite in the clear and neither were the victims' families. Miles sat back and said a silent prayer for all of them before putting his head back against the high back of the chair and drifting off to sleep.

It was the first uneventful sleep he would have in a number of days…

* * *

_A.N.: So, what do you think? It was hard to write in one day, but I did it! The info should all be correct, since I did get it off of the official CDC website. In any case, let me know how this is going! I promise to have the next one up ASAP! Thanks for reading and please review-Julia-_


	4. Recovery

**Judgment Day**

A deadly disease is spreading through Trenton, New Jersey and the NIH team is called out to investigate. Meva and Nathen Romance. There is tragedy for the team both collectively and individually. Character death. My first Medical Investigation fic. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Medical Investigation. Oh, well, a girl can dream.

Chapter 4: Recovery

Miles sat in the chair next to Eva's bed, watching her angelic features as they twitched slightly in her sleep. The families of the patients had taken having to get rid of their pets surprisingly well. Then again, as a society we tend to value human life over animal life. Miles was deep in thought. At that same moment, Eva stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She yawned, stretching luxuriously. Eva smiled sleepily and it was hard for Miles to be nonplussed.

"Good morning, Eva," Miles said softly.

"Hey," Eva replied.

"How are you feeling today?" Miles inquired.

"Much better, thanks. How about you?" Eva countered.

"Confident," Miles said simply.

Eva smiled again at his optimism. Miles kept his eyes trained on hers as he gently grasped her wrist and felt her pulse. It quickened ever so slightly at his touch. Miles smiled and deduced that it was either due to nerves or attraction. He hoped that it was the latter. Miles was glad that Eva seemed to be doing much better. The antibiotics were helping her fight off the infection and she was progressively getting stronger. After a few more seconds, Miles let go of Eva's wrist.

Eva felt her body respond involuntarily to Miles' touch. She knew that he could feel her pulse racing through her veins. There was no denying her blatant attraction to the man. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he finally released her wrist from his probing grasp. Eva took a quick breath to regain her composure while Miles glanced elsewhere momentarily. She was worried about him. There was a small possibility that Miles could still contract tularemia over the next week or so. At least now they knew what it was and it could be treated. Still, it was hard not to worry, especially after witnessing Frank's death. It was obvious to Eva that Miles was worried, too.

At that moment, Miles' pager went off. He quickly checked it and all of the doses on Eva's IVs, and then took down some figures from the monitors before turning his attention back to her. She looked pensive. Miles decided to snap her out of her reverie anyway.

"Eva? I'm going to go and check on a few of the other patients. I just got a page from one of the other rooms. I'll be back to see you later," Miles stated.

"Sure, see you," Eva replied.

Miles gave her one last smile before leaving the room. He looked around at the rest of his coworkers through the plate-glass window before turning to walk down the hall. He stepped through the door into young Virginia Madsen's room. She was still unconscious and had been placed in a private suite so that her family could have their time with her. She hadn't shown any signs of improvement over the past few days, but she wasn't deteriorating either. Miles hoped that it was just taking the antibiotics longer to work on her. He couldn't stand the thought of losing another patient to this disease. He immediately found the nurse adjusting Virginia's IV.

"What's going on? I just got your page," Miles commented.

"I was just increasing the saline drip. You asked me to page you if anything changed. Well, Dr. McCabe, Ms. Madsen is awake. She's groggy, but she's finally come out of it," the nurse explained.

Miles almost did a double take. He smiled and grabbed the chart from the foot of Virginia's bed before coming to stand at her right side. He silently thanked God for having saved this girl. He quickly flipped through the last few days' worth of notes and snapped the clipboard shut. He leaned closer to the girl and smiled warmly at her.

"Hey there, welcome back," Miles said politely.

"What happened?" Virginia inquired.

"Do you remember when you came in at first a few days ago?" Miles asked.

The girl nodded.

"Well, your body was weakened by a disease called tularemia and you fell into a coma. It was just your body's way of letting you fight the infection. We gave you an antibiotic to help you get better and now that you've managed to fight off most of the infection you're awake again," Miles explained.

He used layman's terms so the girl wouldn't be overwhelmed. He didn't want to scare her anymore than she already was. After all, coming into a hospital feeling sick and waking up almost a week later after a brush with death isn't the easiest experience to deal with. Virginia looked pensive for a moment before looking up at Miles again.

"So, when can I get out of here?" Virginia asked.

Miles smiled at her comment. She had only just come out of a coma and she was already anxious to be back on her feet.

"Not for a few more days. Your body needs a while longer to recover. In the meantime you can have some friends come and visit you," Miles suggested.

"What about Jamie? I came in with her, she wasn't feeling well either. How's she doing?" Virginia inquired.

Miles felt his heart stop momentarily. He had forgotten that Virginia no longer had a best friend. The question now was; how was he going to tell her? The girl had only just rejoined the world of the lucid and he already had to make that horrible for her. Miles took a deep breath, pausing to think for a moment, before speaking.

"Jamie's illness was far more advanced than yours. She was having trouble breathing because of the infection that had progressed into her lungs. We put a tube in her throat to help her breathe, but she was too sick. She stopped breathing and her heart stopped. We did everything we could to bring her back, but she was too far gone. I'm sorry, Virginia, Jamie didn't make it," Miles said sympathetically.

He had tears welling up in his eyes as he spoke. He watched as Virginia mulled it over for a moment before becoming hysterical. She began to cry and thrash. Miles put his hands on her shoulders and held her back against the bed. She was in danger of tearing out one of her IV lines. Miles held her like that for a moment until she calmed down. At that point she doubled over and just cried. Miles rubbed her back comfortingly for a few minutes before she sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. Uncontrollable sobs racked her young body and Miles wished that it could have been otherwise. After a few more sobs, Virginia became pale and silent as she fell back into her pillow. Miles grasped her hand and checked her pulse. It was strong and steady. He waited a moment for her to come around. Virginia opened her eyes and looked up at Miles.

"What just happened?" She asked.

"Your brain wasn't getting enough oxygen because of your position which restricted the blood flow through your carotid arteries and you fainted," Miles said simply.

Virginia nodded and reached for a tissue with which to wipe her eyes. She stayed silent for a moment before sighing resignedly and speaking.

"I just can't believe she's gone. We've been best friends since we were three years old. She was like the sister I never had. I don't know what I'm supposed to do without her," Virginia sobbed.

"I know it's hard, I lost a good friend to this same disease. We just have to remember that they love us very much and want us to move on and live life," Miles said softly.

"I know, but it's hard. Can I ask you some questions?" Virginia asked.

"Of course, go ahead," Miles replied.

"Was she in pain?" Virginia queried.

"No, we had her on morphine so she wouldn't feel the joint pain. When her lungs stopped working she was unconscious, she couldn't feel anything," Miles said honestly.

"Was she scared, Dr. McCabe?" Virginia inquired.

"I doubt she even knew what was happening. I can promise you that she died peacefully. When you stop breathing its easy," Miles said truthfully.

"Thank you, Dr. McCabe, for trying to save her and for saving me," Virginia said gratefully.

Miles smiled.

"You're welcome, Virginia," Miles replied.

"Please, call me Ginny," Virginia said lightly.

"Okay, Ginny. I almost forgot why I was here in the first place. Now, I want to examine you quickly to see how you're doing. Just relax," Miles explained.

Virginia smiled and nodded ever so slightly. Miles could see she was still weakened. Finding out that your best friend of fourteen years is dead on top of that is just overkill. Miles watched Virginia carefully as he carried on with his survey. He was pleased to note that the crackling in her lungs was gone when he placed the disk of the stethoscope on her back. She was breathing normally and her oxygen saturation readout proved it. Her fever had broken and her temperature was almost back to normal. Miles finished his exam and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Well Ginny, I'm pleased to say that you're doing much better. You'll be back to normal in a few short days. How's your breathing?" Miles asked.

"Fine," Ginny said crisply.

"Any joint pain?" Miles inquired.

"Nope," Virginia replied.

"Great! Who knows, at this rate I might even let you out of here before the weekend," Miles said contentedly.

Virginia smiled weakly.

"Do you have any more questions?" Miles queried.

"No, I'm fine," Virginia stated.

"If you need anything just ask the nurse to page me. I have to go and check on a few more patients, but I'll come by to see you later. Bye, Ginny," Miles said warmly.

"Bye, Dr. McCabe, and thank you again," Virginia said hoarsely.

Miles nodded and left the room. She looked like she was going to cry again the second Miles walked out of the room. However, Miles felt inclined to believe that she just needed some time alone to come to terms with everything. He would see how she was doing later. In the meantime he was going to get a cup of coffee, finish his rounds and get back to his team. Miles thought about submitting a protocol revision recommendation once they got back to NIH. All NIH personnel should be required to wear N-95 masks to prevent infection when handling patients, samples and any and all other possibly contaminated paraphernalia. It would prevent something tragic like this from ever happening again.

Miles reached the cafeteria and quickly grabbed a coffee before heading up to finish his rounds. He drank the scalding liquid as fast as was humanly possible without scorching his esophagus while he waited for the elevator. By the time he reached the isolation ward again, Miles had finished half of his coffee and well and truly burnt his tongue. He tossed the remainder of the drink in the trash as he headed off to check on his remaining patients. He was pleased to see that all of the casualties were doing much better. Miles had managed to stop the tularemia in its tracks. At least, that's what it seemed like. The animal shelter hadn't been happy to hear that their animals were to blame for the epidemic. It was, after all, bad publicity. However, after a lot of smooth talking and a few comments he had picked up from Eva, Miles was able to convince the shelter to treat all of the recently contaminated animals and put down the initial carriers of the disease.

Miles smiled in spite of himself. It was a job well done.

He finished checking on his last patient, twenty three year old Kimberly Gonsalves. She had been one of the primary victims and had gotten lucky. She had narrowly avoided respiratory arrest and was given the Streptomycin just in time. Miles smiled again as he stepped through the door into his team's isolation room. They were chatting animatedly amongst themselves. He had won Stephen's approval, which was what he had longed for since the moment he had joined the NIH. Miles shut the door behind him and went to sit at his usual post beside Eva's bed. They looked even better than they had a few short hours ago. Miles, on the other hand, felt exhausted. The emotional scene he had had with Ginny had leached all of the energy out of his body. He must have let, despite all efforts not to, because the team looked concerned.

"Are you alright?" Stephen asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired," Miles replied.

"Go and get some rest. You need it," Natalie instructed.

"Not that kind of tired," Miles argued.

"What do you mean?" Eva inquired.

"Cognitively tired," Miles began. "I have a patient, Virginia Madsen, whose best friend died from the exposure just before she was given the Streptomycin. Virginia's been in a coma since shortly after she was admitted and I was paged to her bedside when she woke up. I had to tell her what happened to Jamie. _That_ kind of tired."

The team all stared at him in a commiserating manner. At least he had been spared the task of informing _them _of what had happened to Frank. In a way, it was good that they had all been witness to the tragedy. However, on the other hand, Miles hated failing, especially in front of people whose validation he sought out.

"How did she take it?" Eva asked.

She had met both Jamie and Virginia when they had come in. They were a nice pair of girls. Intelligent, funny and completely devoted in their friendship. It must have been very hard on Virginia to have lost her best friend. After all, if Eva ever lost anyone as close to her as a sister she knew she would be upset. It must be even harder for a teenager who already has a mountain of problems on her plate.

"She was very upset, to say the least, but I think she'll be okay. She just needs some time," Miles supposed.

"Once you give me the all-clear I want to go see her," Eva mentioned.

"I just want you to give yourself some time to heal before going out there and living life in the fast lane again. I'll let you out of here as soon as I'm satisfied that you won't relapse," Miles agreed.

Eva gave him a well-practiced albeit rare '_you're the boss'_ look.

They sat and talked about the mundane world, which to a team which spends all of their time isolated from the outside by their work, wasn't so mundane. It was good for Miles to be able to take a break from the hectic maelstrom of being a one-man team. He was glad that Stephen had felt it necessary to asseverate that Miles had saved his and the other team members' lives. He had worked intrepidly and with unrivaled celerity. Time like these, where he could sit around and be glad for the power to save lives being at his fingertips made him glad that he was a polymath of the medical sciences. He was thankful for the varied skills he had picked up from the team. Public speaking and interpersonal skills from Eva. Attention to detail from Frank. Perspicacity between diseases and microbial organisms from Natalie. Last but certainly not least, determination, brio and hope from Connor. They were more sacred to him than the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Miles then realized that he had been lost in his own thoughts for a rather lengthy period of time and decided to rejoin the conversation. Besides, he would have plenty of time to rest and think once he knew his team was out of the woods.

Until then, Miles promised himself that he would devote as much of his attention to his team as was humanly possible so he wouldn't miss a thing…

* * *

_A.N.: So? How was that chapter! It was actually quite easy and quick to write this time. I had a great time stretching my vocabulary muscles in this one as well as the last one. Countless minutes of searching went into finding everything to make this story perfect and as accurate as possible. Thanks for reading and thanks to those of you who reviewed the last few installments. Please review this one, too! I love hearing from you, it is very encouraging. Thanks again-Julia-_


	5. Time Heals All

**Judgment Day**

A deadly disease spreads through Trenton, New Jersey and the NIH team is called out to investigate. Meva and Nathen romance, eventually. There is tragedy for the team both collectively and individually, including a character death. My first Medical Investigation fic. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Medical Investigation and am too exhausted to come up with a witty remark to insert here.

Chapter 5: Time Heals All

Eva Rossi sat up in bed. By the looks of the sun shining into the corridor outside of the room it was a beautiful, clear Friday morning. Eva felt much better than she had since the beginning of this trip and hoped that Miles would finally discharge her and the rest of the team from the hospital so they could move on with their lives and put this whole ordeal behind them. She looked around the room to find Stephen and Natalie still fast asleep in their respective beds. Perhaps, she thought, this was a blessing in disguise. She worked with these people day in and day out, and she had never seen either of them take a break during a case. They needed to catch up on their rest and this was the perfect opportunity. Eva smiled inwardly and stretched until she felt a refreshing pull in her still-tired muscles. At that same moment she heard a yawn emanate from the bed to her left. She looked over to find Stephen lying in bed, eyes open just enough to survey the room.

"Good morning," Eva said warmly.

"Good morning to you, too, Eva," Stephen replied sleepily. "How are you feeling today?"

Eva smiled. Even when he was in bed, stricken with the same illness that had affected her and so many others, he was trying to be the consummate professional.

"I'm much better, actually. I hope we can get out of here today. How about you?" Eva replied.

"I'm fine, thanks. If Miles doesn't discharge us today, then I will," Stephen laughed.

Neither of them had noticed the figure that had entered through the door and was now lurking just out of sight by the curtain surrounding the far side of Eva's bed. Miles loomed into view and a sinister smile played on his lips.

"Oh you will, will you Dr. Connor?" Miles said lightly, stifling his laughter.

Stephen and Eva smiled at his sudden appearance. Miles took the chart from the slot at the foot of Eva's bed and flipped through it before glancing at the monitors surrounding her. He made a few notes on the chart and moved on to do the same with Natalie and Stephen's charts. When he had finished, Miles came to stand at the foot of Eva's bed. She and Connor looked up at him quizzically.

"So? Do you plan on discharging us today? I mean, don't get me wrong, I trust your judgment, but if we have to stay here any longer it's going to be ridiculous. I can't sit in this bed much longer without going completely insane," Eva said questioningly.

"From the looks of your charts you're well on your way to discharge, but you'll have to pass one final exam before I let you go," Miles answered.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Stephen asked.

Miles smiled brightly and began to pull the curtain around Eva's bed closed. He knew that it would annoy Connor not to be able to witness and comment on the wellbeing of his own team, but Miles respected Eva's privacy at the same time. He pulled the final few inches of the curtain shut to keep Stephen's curiosity on ice. Miles could hear his superior sigh exasperatedly on the other side. At the same time, he turned to Eva and smiled reassuringly. Miles sat on the edge of the bed as he spoke to her. She seemed to be doing a lot better and her charts proved it. After a brief survey and examination, Miles decided that there was no reason to keep Eva in the hospital any longer.

"Well, Eva, you're doing much better than you were even yesterday. I think it's safe to say that I can let you out of here today. You just have to promise me that you'll take it easy for a few days. No running around and catching up on any work for now, okay?" Miles asked.

"I promise," Eva said wholeheartedly.

"Okay then! I'll sign your discharge orders and you can get out of here," Miles said.

"Great!" Eva replied enthusiastically.

Miles smiled and turned to leave when he felt her hand on his arm, holding him back gently. He turned back to face her and met her bright, shining eyes. His gaze prompted her to speak.

"In all of the craziness that's been happening lately I've forgotten to say thank you for everything. Thanks for saving me, for caring. Just… thanks," Eva said lightly.

Miles smiled and took her hand in his. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You're welcome, Eva. You know full well that I care very much about you. I wouldn't have let myself live it down if anything had happened to you," Miles said softly.

Eva smiled and tugged on his arm, pulling him closer to her. Miles closed his eyes, as did Eva and their lips met. At that moment they both felt more aware of themselves and each other than ever before. Miles reveled in the feeling of Eva's soft, rose petal lips against his. He smiled against her lips as they kissed with increasing passion. After a few more seconds they pulled apart, breathless from the fervor of their emotion. Miles tried to look as minimally disheveled as possible. After all, he wanted to maintain that look of cool countenance that a stoic physician should have. A coy smile curved Eva's sensuous lips and drew him in again. After briefly brushing his lips against hers again Miles gripped the chart he was holding until his knuckles were white. He returned her smile and gently cupped her face for a moment before pulling away to sign the discharge orders in her chart. He put the chart back in the slot at the foot of the bed and looked up at Eva one last time before leaving the curtain area again. He smiled when he saw her lips form the words.

"I love you," Eva mouthed.

Miles smiled and stepped out of sight. Stephen immediately noticed the sideways smile on his face when Miles entered the next cubicle. He quickly drew the curtain around Stephen's bed so Natalie wouldn't be curious when she woke up. Miles was glad that Stephen was sufficiently wise as to leave well enough alone. Miles made a few quick notes in Stephen's chart before coming to stand by his superior. It felt awkward to be in this position with Connor, but if Connor could trust Miles enough to leave him in charge Miles knew that he shouldn't worry.

"You're one step away from freedom, Dr. Connor," Miles said pointedly.

Stephen smiled at him encouragingly. Miles checked Stephen's breath sounds and was extremely relived to hear that everything was clear. The insistent crackling that had been minimally present still the day before was gone and Stephen was well on the road to recovery. He would have to take it easy, especially since his stress level was through the roof, but at least he was out of the woods. Miles was also glad to see that Stephen's pulse was back down to normal and no longer thready. Stephen's blood pressure was bottoming out again, too. Miles smiled at the improvement and made a few notes in the chart before signing the discharge orders. He put the chart away and met Stephen's questioning gaze.

"So what's the verdict?" Stephen asked.

"You're free to go. However, I feel inclined to tell you the same thing I told Eva; take it easy for a couple of days. I don't want you back in here with exhaustion before you've had the chance to recover. Only time heals all wounds. Other than that, I've signed your discharge papers and you can get out of here," Miles stated.

Stephen smiled broadly and nodded briskly.

"Thank you, Miles," he said simply.

It was more than Miles had expected. He knew that Stephen was grateful from his own candid brand of gratitude, but this was just reinforcement for the validation Miles had already gotten from both Stephen and Natalie. Miles smiled inwardly at a job well done and nodded approvingly before leaving the cubicle. He stepped over to Natalie's bed and pulled the curtain there shut as well. She was still sleeping soundly. Miles didn't want to wake her. She looked peaceful and he knew that she needed the rest, but he figured she could rest better if he sent her to recover back at home. He would call around later and give her a sedative if need be. Knowing Natalie, it would be just that difficult. And if that was the case with Natalie, it would surely be the case with Stephen. Miles swore to himself that he would keep a very close eye on Eva personally to make sure she rested. After all, that kiss had forged new lines of communication and trust between them. It gave him license to play the concerned boyfriend in their current scenario. He sighed contently as he filled out Natalie's chart before leaning over her to wake her up. He gently shook her shoulder until she came around.

"Good morning, Dr. Durant. I thought you might want to wake up since you're getting out of here today," Miles said politely.

Natalie's eyes slowly opened further and she smiled sleepily.

"That's great to hear, Miles. I would have been up already but when I first woke up a couple of hours ago, everyone else was still asleep so I thought I'd do the same," Natalie explained.

"Hey, you were just helping yourself by giving your body the rest it needs," Miles said lightly. "Now then, I'll just run through one last evaluation and then you can get out of here."

Natalie nodded and put up with Miles' insistent prodding. He was just being thorough, she reasoned. Miles had learned well from Stephen. He had the perfect mix of both diagnostic skills and bedside manner that made every patient feel comfortable and cared for. Miles quickly finished his exam and signed off on Natalie's charts.

"You're all set to go, Dr. Durant," Miles said warmly.

"Thank you, Miles," Natalie replied.

"You're welcome," Miles reciprocated.

Natalie smiled at him one last time as he left the curtain area. He was a prodigy of theirs, indeed.

At the same time Eva stood outside of Virginia's room, looking in through the glass as the girl slept. Eva straightened some wrinkles out of her clothes before walking into the isolation room. The girl's family had gone to get breakfast and had left her ample time to talk to the girl. She had the look of someone whose sleep was disturbed by haunting dreams. Eva wanted to talk to Virginia before Miles discharged her. After all, she had gotten to know the girl a little more personally in the beginning, so she might be able to offer some sort of comfort or consolation to her on her best friend's death. Eva took a deep preparatory breath and stepped into Virginia's room. She went to sit in the chair next to the girl's bed and gently shook her awake. She felt a pluck at her heartstrings when she tried to wake Virginia, but she decided that it was okay since Miles would have to do it anyway if it wasn't for her. Eva waited patiently while Virginia stretched and oriented herself. Virginia smiled at Eva warmly.

"Hey! What are you doing here? I thought you would still have been in your own bed," Virginia said quizzically.

"Miles discharged us earlier this morning. He should be coming around to let you out of here soon, too," Eva replied.

Virginia smiled. She had been worried about the NIH team. They were a nice bunch of people and had been very helpful when she had first come in. She was glad that everyone was feeling better. Eva looked at the girl and was glad to see that she could smile despite all of the recent tragedy.

"So, how have you been lately?" Eva asked.

"I've been coping, I guess. It's just hard, you know? Losing someone so close to you is like losing a piece of yourself," Virginia said hoarsely.

She could feel the tears building up and beginning to sting her eyes. When she couldn't hold it in any longer Virginia began to sob and allowed the tears to stream down her face. Eva could feel the pressure building behind her own eyes and she wrapped her arms around Virginia in a gesture of comfort. Any way she could help was fine with her. After all, no one should have to suffer through something as tragic as this alone. After a few minutes Virginia calmed down and Eva pulled away. Ginny wiped her eyes and tried to regain her composure.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Rossi," Virginia said apologetically.

"Don't be silly, Ginny! You're hurting and that's completely normal. I know how much you must miss Jamie and its okay to cry, really. And please, call me Eva," she said reassuringly.

Ginny smiled weakly and wiped the tears from her face with her hand. At that moment the sound of the door opening could be heard echoing from behind the curtain which Eva had drawn around Ginny's bed. A moment later, Miles stepped around the curtain and smiled broadly at Eva and Ginny. He knew he would find Eva there. After all, she was often times the team's best and only human connection. He flipped through Ginny's chart quickly before stepping nearer to her bed and leaning on the railings.

"How are you feeling this morning, Ginny?" Miles asked.

"Fine," Ginny replied.

Eva smiled to herself. She could read people better than anyone she knew and from where she sat she just knew that Ginny had a crush on Miles. It was so obvious Eva wondered how Miles didn't see it, too.

"That's great! If you pass my final inspection, I'll be inclined to let you out of here today," Miles said warmly.

"That would be fantastic! I guess I'm just ready to go home and take some time away from the world," Ginny commented.

"Alright then, let's get this over with quickly. Would you prefer if Eva stepped out while I examine you or do you mind if she stays?" Miles asked.

"No, that's fine. Eva can hang out," Ginny replied.

Eva smiled and nodded, giving Ginny's hand a quick, reassuring squeeze. Miles nodded in agreement and carried on with his survey. After a few quick minutes, Miles had finished his exam and was pleased with the progress that Ginny was making. He signed the discharge forms in her chart and put it back in the slot at the foot of Ginny's bed. He looked up at her and met her questioning eyes.

"So? What's the verdict? Do I get out of here today or what?" Ginny inquired.

Miles smiled at her spirit and nodded affirmatively.

"You're free to go, Ginny. However, I want you to see your family physician for a check on Monday and a week after that. Take it easy for a few days and call me to let me know how you're doing, or if anything comes up. I've got to go see some other patients but I'll make sure to let your parents know that you can go home as soon as you're ready. Keep in touch and I'll see you later, Ginny," Miles stated.

"Thanks a lot, Dr. McCabe. I'll hold you to that," Ginny replied, smiling.

Miles smiled back and left the room with one last wave. Eva smiled as she listened to his retreating footsteps and the soft click of the door closing. She also stood up to leave, but not before getting her last few words in.

"Call me if you ever want to talk and make sure you let us know how you're coping. I'll see you around sometime," Eva said lightly.

"I promise I'll call and thanks, Eva. Bye," Ginny replied.

Eva smiled once again and followed Miles' lead in leaving the room. She wandered through the increasingly empty halls until she bumped into Stephen and Natalie. They were standing in an embrace around a blind corner. Eva apologized quickly and moved on. What they did in their spare time was none of her business. Besides, she was only interested in finding Miles. After a few more minutes of intent searching she found him leaving the final patient's exam room. Eva stopped him from walking away with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Miles spun around and their eyes met. He immediately swept Eva up in a protective embrace and held onto her as if she were trying to slip away. No matter what, he wasn't going to let that happen. Miles pulled away and the two of them walked down the hallway, hand in hand, toward an empty room.

Once they had found their chosen destination Miles pulled Eva back into a strong embrace. She could feel his steady breath and heartbeat against her cheek as she closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling of being enclosed in Miles' welcoming rapture. They pulled apart only enough to allow their lips to lock in a passionate kiss. Miles' tongue traced Eva's lips and he could taste her desire. Their kiss became increasingly heated and would have gone on indefinitely if both of their pagers hadn't gone off simultaneously. They reluctantly broke the kiss and reached for their respective pagers. Stephen wanted them both in the lab pronto. Miles brushed one last, quick kiss on Eva's lips before they headed up to where Stephen and Natalie were waiting.

Their debriefing session was quick and their packing even quicker. Once they had boarded the helicopter Miles stared down at the hospital, fading quickly in the distance and tried to sort out what he felt more of: relief or disappointment. He had been presented with the opportunity to learn so much in so little time and he was walking away a better doctor, a better person because of it. Eva gave his hand a discreet squeeze as he turned to once again face the front of the chopper. He was leaving behind a world of newfound comfort and balance and going back to the hectic melee of everyday life as a team member for the NIH.

Miles walked away from the whole ordeal knowing he had fought the good fight and knowing that despite the loss of life and confidence it was not a pyrrhic defeat…

* * *

_A.N.: how was that chapter? I personally don't think it's up to my usual standards, but hey, who am I to judge? I'm my own worst critic. That's exactly why it's up to you to review this chapter like the other ones. Thank you to all of those who have already read and reviewed thus far. Your feedback is appreciated and welcomed with open arms. Thanks again and I promise to have another story up soon! That's right; this means that this is the LAST chapter of this story. I wanted it to be longer, but it's CLEARLY going nowhere so I'm ending it before I kill it. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and loved. -Julia-_


	6. Picking up the Pieces

**Judgment Day**

A deadly disease spreads through Trenton, New Jersey and the NIH team is called out to investigate. Meva and Nathen romance, eventually. There is tragedy for the team both collectively and individually, including a character death. My first Medical Investigation fic. Please review!

_A.N.: Read the author's note at the end!_

Disclaimer: I hate to break it to you, but I do not own Medical Investigation. Yeah, I know, that's what I said, too.

Chapter 6: Picking up the Pieces

Three days after the end of their assignment in Trenton, New Jersey, Miles, Eva, Stephen and Natalie sat around the elliptical table in the familiar boardroom back at NIH headquarters. The one empty chair, Frank's chair, respectively, reminded them all of the tragedy that had ensued in the previous week. It was going to be hard for the team to work for a while, to function. Not to mention the trouble it would be to find another toxicologist that could even hold a candle to Frank. Eva, Stephen and Natalie had spent the weekend resting while Miles had been kept busy by the endless incident reports and the proposition he was typing to amend protocols so that a situation like this should never have to repeat itself. Picking up the pieces was, if possible, the most difficult part of their job as NIH staff. A moment of silence replaced the usual chatter that would be happening around the table.

Miles rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. The exhaustion of the past week or so was finally catching up with him and he just wanted to go home and sleep it all off. The only good thing that had come out of the whole mess was his newfound relationship with Eva. He smiled at her across the table and winked subtly. Eva smiled back before they focused their attention on Stephen who had just cleared his throat to snap them all out of their reveries. He quickly sifted through the report that Miles had composed before speaking.

"I know you would all still rather be at home resting and remembering, but we have to debrief before this settles in too deep. First off, excellent report, Dr. McCabe. You did some great work out there in the field this past week. You got us through it, even if some sacrifices had to be made. Second of all, Frank's family is holding his funeral this Saturday at the Holy Trinity cemetery. We should all plan to attend. I know it was hard on everyone to lose Frank, I know you felt particularly responsible, Miles, but let's not let this get us down. We have to go on and work to the best of our abilities and forget about this whole ordeal. Next on the list, Dr. Ewing has asked us to fly out to a conference in Orlando next week. We'll be representing the NIH and speaking on our respective roles. Raymond Fink will be flying out with us in place of Frank. Does anyone have anything to add?" Stephen finished with an inquiry.

"The press has released the official report on the outbreak and none of the facts are tragically skewed. They've released the disease as tularemia and the cause as being transmitted by infected animals. There haven't been any reports of an influx of veterinary visits, so there doesn't seem to be a major panic happening," Eva explained.

"Good job, Eva," Stephen approved. "Anything else?"

"All of the infected animals have been euthanized and cremated so there shouldn't be any further spread of the disease. Additionally, all of the animals at the shelter from which the infected animals had come have been examined and there doesn't seem to be any more infection spread there, either. The pound has placed mousetraps to eradicate the infected rodents as well," Natalie stated.

Connor nodded affirmatively and looked around the table expectantly. After a moment's silence which he took to mean that there were no further reports he took the opportunity to speak again.

"Excellent work everyone. Now I want you to get any residual work finished and then go home and get some more rest. This thing is going to haunt us for a while, so we may as well give in. We'll reconvene tomorrow and get started on another case. See you all then," Stephen said.

There was a collective nod from the group gathered around the table, less one member. Everyone slowly filed out of the room until only Miles and Eva remained. Miles had his head in his hands and looked just about ready to implode while Eva sat beside him and did her best to commiserate. She rubbed his back in comforting circles as he, unbeknownst to her, fought to keep his plummeting vitals under control. It had been almost two weeks since his initial exposure and Miles hoped that he would escape unscathed from the encounter. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for him. Miles had woken up that morning with a splitting headache and various other symptoms that could indicated tularemia. He didn't have the gall to go and confess his predicament to either Connor or Natalie. However, it was getting worse and it was beginning to look like he wouldn't have a choice. Miles finally took initiative and looked up. Eva noticed his pallor and concern creased her features.

"Are you alright?" Eva inquired.

"God, I hope so," Miles said, clearly frustrated.

"What do you mean?" Eva asked.

"I think it's got me," Miles deadpanned.

"What? Oh no, not tularemia. Miles, you have to go see Stephen," Eva said worriedly.

"I know, I'm going," Miles replied.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Eva queried.

"No, that's okay. I'll see you a little later," Miles answered.

Eva smiled sympathetically and Miles weakly returned the favor. He leaned over and kissed her briefly before getting up and leaving the room. He slowly walked over to Stephen's private office. He knocked and waited until he was summoned to enter. Stephen looked up from his paperwork as Miles stepped into the office. Miles closed the door behind him and waited until Stephen motioned to a chair before sitting. A momentary look of concern creased Stephen's brow before he regrouped and spoke.

"Miles. What can I do for you?" Stephen inquired.

"I think I'm infected," Miles said simply.

Stephen looked at him appraisingly, taking in the obvious physical attributes of an infection.

"When did you first present with symptoms?" Stephen asked.

"This morning. I woke up and thought it was just exhaustion, but it's only gotten worse," Miles said truthfully.

"Okay, go get Natalie to draw some blood and run the panel. I'll finish up this report and I'll meet you in the clinic. Just grab an empty exam room and put a post-it note on the chart slot. I'll be there in a moment," Stephen instructed.

Miles nodded and did as he was told. He left the room and found Natalie working on some slides in the lab. She looked up from the microscope and smiled.

"What do you need, Miles?" Natalie queried.

"I need you to draw some blood. I think I might have contracted tularemia after all," Miles explained.

"Does Stephen know?" Natalie inquired.

"Yes, I've told him. He wants you to run the panel," Miles stated.

Natalie nodded and motioned Miles into a chair beside one of the lab tables. She sat facing him and stretched his arm out on the table. After rolling up his sleeve, Natalie deftly tied the tourniquet and inserted the needle. After a few seconds she had completely filled the vial necessary for the test, untied the tourniquet and withdrawn the needle. Miles held a piece of gauze to the site and folded up his arm to prevent a bruise from forming. He waited a moment before rolling he sleeve back down and standing up to leave the lab.

"Thanks, Dr. Durant," Miles said gratefully.

"You're welcome. I'll let you know as soon as I've got the results back," Natalie assured him.

Miles nodded and left the lab. He slowly made his way down to the clinic. Once he got there he discreetly grabbed a post-it note from behind the reception desk and stuck it onto the chart slot outside of exam room three. He waited only a couple of minutes before Connor found him. He entered the room and closed the door behind him. By then, Miles had had plenty of time to worry and anticipate. He prayed that it was only a cold or flu. He prayed that he had become immunosupressed because of the stress and had contracted influenza. Connor looked at him apologetically for a moment before donning a pair of gloves and retrieving the necessary equipment from various cupboards and drawers. Once he had finished, Stephen turned to face Miles once again.

"Are you experiencing any of the telltale symptoms? Any joint pain, difficulty breathing, headache, weakness, chills or anything like that?" Stephen inquired.

"Just a headache, fever and chills so far," Miles replied.

"Did Natalie already draw blood?" Stephen asked.

"Yes," Miles answered.

"Good. Look, I know it's hard to think optimistically after the events of the last week, but bear with me. We'll know what's going on soon enough. This is probably just a cold, especially since you've taken the prophylactic Streptomycin as directed. Either way, now that we know what this thing is, you'll be fine. Now, let's get on with this. Just relax," Stephen said reassuringly.

Miles nodded and tried not to let on to how nervous he really was. Aside from the fact that this could be a disease that would put him out of commission for a while, he felt awkward being on this end of the spectrum. After working so closely with patients it was perfectly ironic that he should become one himself. It was Murphy 's Law. On top of that it was Occam's razor; all things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one. In Miles' case, the simplest explanation was tularemia.

Miles sat patiently through Stephen's exam with bated breath. He tried to relax as Stephen went through the motions of taking his pulse, blood pressure and temperature. So far his superior didn't seem overly phased. Then again, Miles knew as well as Stephen did to always maintain a stoic expression when examining a patient, even when there was cause for alarm. That was one reason why doctors made the worst patients. They knew all the tricks. Stephen carried on with the exam, checking Miles' heart and breath sounds and lymph nodes. After another quick minute, Stephen had finished with his preliminary survey and looked at Miles sternly.

"Well, the good news is that so far you don't seem to fit the pattern. Your breath sounds aren't characteristic of tularemia, but rather a virus. I want to get a chest x-ray just to be sure it isn't the beginnings of pneumonia," Stephen suggested.

Miles almost let out a paean. He prayed that it was something simple and treatable. So far it seemed that he would get off easy, but only when he got the lab results back could he relax. Miles got down from the table and followed Stephen out the door and down to radiology. He longed to hear Eva's mellifluous voice telling him that everything would be alright. She had quickly made her way into his heart and become his inamorata. Once they reached radiology, Miles made himself comfortable whilst Stephen prepared the film and set up the x-ray machine. The x-ray was done quickly and Miles headed up to his office while Stephen waited for the film to develop.

Miles reached his office and opened the door. He didn't even notice Eva sitting in the chair opposite his desk until he had walked around the desk and collapsed into his own chair. She smiled at him in commiseration and encouraged him to speak by taking his hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"How did it go?" Eva asked.

"Stephen thinks that it's something viral. Natalie took some blood and Stephen did a chest x-ray so I'll know more in a little while," Miles replied.

Eva stood up from her chair and walked around to Miles' side of the desk. She sat on the arm of his chair and embraced him lovingly. Miles took shelter in the arms that were wrapped around him. He wished that none of the past few weeks' events had ever happened. They embraced a moment longer before separating just enough for their lips to meet in a passionate kiss. The desire was apparent in both of them. The two of them stayed locked in their fervent kiss until they heard footsteps stop just outside of the office door. They pulled apart and a knock was heard momentarily. Eva rearranged herself and perched herself on the corner of Miles' desk.

"Come in," Miles instructed.

The door slowly opened and Stephen stepped in wielding a large manila envelope that no doubt contained Miles' x-ray results. He had an unreadable expression on his face and that worried Miles more than anything. He gave Eva an acknowledging nod and pulled the x-ray out of the envelope, placing it instead on the light board at the side of the room. Miles and Eva stood up and walked over to where Connor was standing, examining the film. Miles briefly scanned the sheet and looked away. He couldn't focus. A moment later, Stephen broke the silence.

"Good news, Miles. There's no sign of edema or pneumonia. So far so good. Now all you have to do is wait for Natalie to run the panels," Stephen commented.

Miles almost whooped for joy. All there was left was Natalie's assessment and then he would know his fate. Connor put the x-ray away and tossed the manila envelope onto Miles' desk before leaving the room. As soon as he left, Miles and Eva were once again tangled in each other's arms. They kissed again, only this time their kiss was softer, more gentle. It was a kiss that implied endless possibilities, not just a heat of the moment romance. They kissed until they were nearly cyanotic. When they separated, Miles looked deep into Eva's eyes and found eternity in their depths. Miles cupped Eva's face in his hands and kissed her once again. When they pulled apart he wrapped his arms around her waist and she put her hands on his chest. Eva could feel Miles' heart beat beneath her palm. She smiled and was glad that she could have such an effect on him. She knew it was her proximity because Miles had the exact same effect on her.

"I love you, Eva," Miles said sincerely.

"I love you too, Miles," she replied.

At that moment, Miles' phone began to ring. He pulled away from Eva and picked up.

"Miles," he said briskly.

Eva watched as he conversed with the person on the other line. With each spoken word his expression became less severe. A moment later Miles hung up and clipped his phone back onto his belt. He smiled broadly and hugged Eva. After he pulled away, Eva looked up at him questioningly.

"What is it?" She asked.

"That was Natalie. She said that the panels were all negative. I'm not infected," Miles said ecstatically.

Eva smiled at him and embraced him in return.

"That's great!" She replied.

"Why don't we go home? There's nothing left for us to do here today anyway," Miles suggested.

Eva smiled and nodded her agreement. After collecting all of their belongings, Miles and Eva left NIH together, chatting animatedly. Once they reached the parking lot they both got into Miles' car and headed for his apartment.

The sun could finally peek out from behind where it was stagnated beyond the horizon now that Miles could finally be sure that everything was behind him…

* * *

_A.N.: Okay, so I know I said the last chapter was the end. I lied. I'm adding this one and possibly a few others. Here's to those who asked for some Miles angst. I've made this one more detailed to please those of you who like the action. I still stand by what I said about this going nowhere. This chapter is just blatant overkill. Prove me wrong by submitting a review! Thanks again, guys. If I update this, you'll see it in the new chapters section of 'just in' and if not, then you'll know because the summary will state that it is complete. You may as well expect another chapter, but not too hopefully. Please review and give me ideas on where, if anywhere, I should run with this! Thanks-Julia-_


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